Mat for the use of golfers



June 1, 1937.

BAUER 2,082,563 MAT FOR THE USE OF GOLFERS Filed July 17, 1936 Fig.1.

V v v w I w A a ,cu-l /I/VV 4 7014 I BY -WI-c mm Patented June 1, 1937 PAT 25% T OFFICE MAT FOR THE USE OF GOLFERS William Stanley Bauer, London, England Application July 17, 1936, Serial No. 91,055 In Great Britain May 21, 1935 2 Claims.

This invention relates to the provision of mats for the use of golfers on teeing grounds.

It is an object of the invention to provide a mat which is somewhat resilient both where the player takes his stance and where the club approaches or strikes the surface near the tee, the arrangement being such that the resistance is least, or continuity greatest, in the backward and forward direction where the tee is placed.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a mat comprising two sections each built up of strips of fabric, such as the rubberized fabric used in the walls of motor tires, the general directions of the strips being at right angles in the two sections of the mat.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide a teeing stand comprising a foundation upon which is mounted a mat having a section arranged where the tee is placed and a section arranged where the normal player takes his stance, the former section being less resistant in the backward and forward direction and the latter section being less resistant in the lateral direction.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the improved combinations and arrangements contained in the embodiments now to be described in detail, the novel features of which are set out in the claims which follow.

In the drawing:

Figure l is a plan View of a mat in accordance with the invention, and

Figure 2 is a perspective View, to a larger scale of a portion of the framework by which the actual mat sections are supported.

In the arrangement illustrated two mats or mat sections l and 2 are employed of approximately equal size each built up of strips 3 of canvas and rubber fabric, with washers or spacing pieces l preferably of the same material. The strips are threaded on transverse rods 6 and are caused to undulate and form interstices by means of the spacing pieces. Preferably the mat is about 1" thick and the strips and spacing pieces in the neighborhood of wide.

The two mats or mat sections are supported upon a foundation, illustrated in detail in Figure 2, so that the mat i, that on the right-hand as the player faces the hole, has the strips 3 running backwards and forwards in the direction of the hole, whilst the strips 3 of the mat run across. The arrow A indicates the direction of the hole.

The interstices (and preferably the strips themselves) are relatively narrow so that there is in effect an uninterrupted surface in the longitudinal direction of the strips, and considerable interruption of the surface in the perpendicular direction. Thus, since the portion of the teeing ground upon which the tees are to be placed has the strips lying in the backward and forward direction the club is not seriously jarred or checked even if it strikes the mat an inch or two behind the tee; and since the strips run in the perpendicular direction where the player takes his stance there is nothing to prevent him from doing so at the exact distance from the ball that he desires, but the roughening or spikes upon the soles of his shoes will be given an effective grip against any backward or forward slipping tendency while he is making the stroke.

The foundation by which the mats are supported comprises an open framework or platform formed by battens 5 supported upon beams 6 which are sunk in a hole or pit in the teeing ground. The spaces between the beams 6 serve to receive grit or mud falling between the battens from the players shoes and also provide air spaces serving to keep the framework and mats well ventilated and dry.

Trimming strips 7 of substantially the same depth as the mats are provided round the edges of the framework to confine the mats so that the latter are held firmly in position but are readily removable and replaceable. The framework is also preferably readily removable from its position in the teeing ground.

In use a peg tee can be placed in any of the interstices between the strips 3 of the mat l and pushed longitudinally away from the hole until it is firmly wedged between the adjacent undulating strips. The player can then take his stance on the mat 2, the interstices and the resilience of the material allowing for the use of nails or spikes, and a teeing ground surface in this manner will withstand a very considerable amount of wear and will tend to make the player comfortable and confident whether the surface is wet or dry.

The mats can, of course, be used without tee pegs or the like, an iron shot for example, being played directly from the surface of the mat. It will be understood, moreover, that the mat can be used in other positions than on a teeing ground, for example, on a practice ground.

If special provision is to be made for lefthanded players, a larger framework may be employed and a third mat provided on the right of the mat I, that is on the side remote from the mat 2, with its strips 3 running in a general direction at right angles to that in which run the strips of the mat I. I

The invention is not intended to be restricted to the preferred form described above, as of course many other appropriate constructions and arrangements may be adopted within the terms of the claims.

I claim:

1. A golf mat as described comprising two sections each composed of a set of continuous strips of flexible material'and means for uniting the strips into a reticulated surface, the strips in one section extending at right angles to the strips in the other section and in the direction of clubhead travel when a player stands on said other section.

2. A teeing stand for golfers comprising an open framework and a mat removably mounted thereon comprising a reticulated surface formed from a plurality of strips and spacing members united together to form a section on which the player stands and a teeing section, the strips in the teeing section extending in the direction of the clubhead travel when a player drives a teed ball therefrom while standing on the other section, the strips of which extend at right angles to those in the teeing section.

WILLIAM STANLEY BAUER. 

